Ministry serves a diverse and international audience of pastors. It is important that we meet the ethnic, cultural, and gender needs of this diverse audience. Thus our editorial staff represents American, British, and Indian backgrounds. In order to broaden these backgrounds, we have appointed three special assistant editors. These individuals are practicing pastors and will help us focus on additional areas of need.
The pastors meet quarterly with the Ministry staff via a teleconference and each year attend the annual planning session. They also help us find articles, particularly within the group that they represent. I will introduce them in alphabetical order.
Nancy Canwell
Nancy Canwell is an associate pastor at the Walla Walla College church in College Place, Washington. She is responsible for youth and family minis tries. She holds a B.A. in theology from Walla Walla College and is currently in the third year of a Master of Arts program in pastoral ministry. Her spouse, Keith, is also an associate pastor at the same church. As women pastors are I still somewhat of a rare breed in our church, I will quote verbatim her view of ministry: "I felt my first calling to be a pastor the day I was baptized at age 10. Although women pastors were unheard of back in 1967, I believe God began preparing me at that young age. Throughout academy and college I never lost sight of what I believed was God's call to the ministry. After working with my pastor/husband for no pay, then being on a quarter salary, and then a half, after eight years of waiting I finally became a full-time pastor. It seems trite to say that the opportunity is a thrill for me, but that's just what it is. I love what I do. It energizes me, feeds me spiritually, and gives me joy. Every Bible study, every sermon, every baptism, and every counseling session is a meaningful experience for me. I can't think of anything better to do with my life than to spend my days being a servant."
Nancy will help us find articles by women that address the needs of pastors and the people they serve.
Miguel Angel Cerna
Pastor Miguel Cerna is a pastor-evangelist who came to the United States in 1958 from El Salvador. He holds a B.S. from Loma Linda University and an M.Div. from Andrews University. Miguel is in a unique position of being both a pastor and an administrator. He pastors the Norwalk Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in southern California and is also a vice president of the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Miguel is known for leadership in explosive evangelistic growth through small groups. Even though his church now has 700 members, he spends only a quarter of his time there. He has trained his leaders and members so well that they have truly become ministers. Last year his members conducted more than 500 Bible studies, and more than 200 were baptized. His members make some 200 visits a week. He spends much of his time conducting seminars and consulting with churches on how they too can reproduce the New Testament church.
Miguel will help us get articles from the Hispanic community and other ethnic groups.
Eric C. Ward
Pastor Eric Ward is a native of Los Angeles, California. He has served as pastor, local conference evangelist, ministerial secretary of the Southern Union, and associate secretary of the Southern California Conference. He holds a B.A. in theology from Pacific Union College, an M.A. (Min.) from Andrews' University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in pastoral ministry. Pastor Ward is senior pastor of the Oakwood College Church in Huntsville, Alabama, where he has served for more than 20 years.
Eric is a bundle of energy. As well as pastoring more than 2,000 members, he is overseeing the building of a new elementary school and academy; currently four groups of local church elders are con ducting Revelation seminars; the Oakwood church has a goal of birthing 12 satellite churches, with eight already born. These churches work closely with Oakwood College and the Religion Department.
Pastoral Advisory
Since Ministry is published primarily for pastors, we feel that we need to do more than even appoint pastors as special assistant editors. We have also established a pastoral advisory. This advisory consists of the pastors from North America who serve on the General Conference Executive Committee. Nine pastors were appointed, one for each of the nine unions. Since then one has left and joined conference administration, and one has become a conference ministerial secretary. These eight individuals (we are still including the ministerial secretary) are: Desmond Francis (Atlantic Union), Dennis Fortin (Canadian Union), S. Peter Campbell (Columbia Union), Dwight Nelson (Lake Union), Walton Williams (Mid-America Union), Charles Ferguson (North Pacific Union), Robert Lloyd (Pacific Union), and E. C. Ward (Southern Union).
We are constantly in need of good articles written by pastors. We are especially interested in articles that show the relevance of the cross. We would like to know how you make Christ the center of every sermon; how you have adapted your Bible studies to make each one reveal some facet of Christ's great sacrifice; how the atonement informs Adventist doctrine.
Without the cross theology has no passion, programs have no ultimate meaning, and existence becomes a deadly bore. A denomination may vote the finest doctrines, it may have an outstanding heritage, it may even be actively involved meeting humankind's physical, mental, and social needs, but if the cross is not the focus of its mission and practice it will never meet the spiritual needs of the people it tries to reach.
Ministry serves the pastor. We solicit your continued suggestions, your prayers, and your manuscripts. We pray that we will always be looking for ways to serve you better, uplifting in every issue our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.
